watching the grass grow
Fourteen years ago, we planted a three-gallon Japanese maple in the backyard as part of a new landscape project. At the time, it didn’t look like much. It was basically a skinny little tree in a plastic pot, surrounded by enough optimism on my part to make up for my questionable gardening skills. I remember
Orchard Grass (Dactylis glomerata) is primarily valuable as a forage grass for horses, cattle, sheep, and goats. It makes nutritious hay and pasture, grows vigorously in spring, tolerates some shade, and can recover well after cutting. Its dense root system also helps stabilize soil and reduce erosion. It is particularly useful in mixtures with legumes
Foxtail Fountain Grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides) is one of those plants that seems almost perfectly designed for the Southern California garden. It forms neat, fountain-shaped clumps of green foliage and eventually sends up soft, bottlebrush-like flower heads that sway in even the slightest breeze. It likes sun, tolerates heat, and, once established, doesn’t demand much attention—qualities
The pomegranate is one of those fruits that looks as though somebody designed it specifically to make ordinary fruit seem inadequate. Open one up and there is no simple interior of pulp and a few seeds. Instead, there are hundreds of little ruby-red arils packed together like somebody’s idea of edible jewelry. It is a
Heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica) develops its flowers in branching clusters, or panicles, that emerge from the ends of its stems, with the individual flowers beginning as small buds that gradually enlarge and open into delicate white blooms, often with yellow anthers. Flowering typically occurs in late spring to early summer, and the open flowers attract
Using a light table to photograph plants creates a beautiful backlit effect, especially with leaves, petals, grasses, and other translucent plant material. Placing a leaf or flower directly on the illuminated surface allows light to pass through its veins and delicate structures, revealing details and colors that ordinary front lighting can hide. Darker or opaque
Purple Fountain Grass (Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’) is what happens when ordinary grass decides it’s tired of being overlooked and shows up wearing purple. With its burgundy blades and fuzzy flower plumes bobbing dramatically in the breeze, it has the unmistakable attitude of a plant that knows it looks good from every angle. It’s also wonderfully